Method for the recovery of salt



Sept, 2. 1924.

A. SCHILLING lm'non FOR was nzcovamr OP swr F1106 Jan. 5, 1922 l IN VEN TOR.

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#2.; ATTORNEYS.

' Patented Sept. 2, 1924.

UNITED STATES AUGUST SCHILLING, or SAN FRANCISCO, csr inonum.

'METHOD FOR THE RECOVERYIQF SALT.

Application filed January 5, 1922. Serial m3; 527,221.

1 '0 all whom it mayconce'r n:

Be it known that I, AUGUST SCHILLING, a citizen of the United States, residing in thecityand county ofSanFrancisco and State of California,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Methods for the Recovery of Salt, of which the ;following is a specification.

The method heretofore employed tfoiithe recovery of salt froma brine solution .re

sidesgenerally in subjecting a -large;body ofthe said solution, to the action'of. the .sun and the atmosphere, and the means .employed for-this purpose is-thatwhich is commonly known'aswa salt pond, usually one. of large -a1;ea,;the salt-contained within the solution beinggradually precipitatedjand deposited {face of the solution is carried bythe'flowing on the bottonrofthe pond fromwwhichit is recovered by suitable mechanism fort-he recovery of salt. therefrom in-the, usualmanner. I Ihave discovered that, if a body of the brine solution be subdivided into avflowing stream or layer of shallow depth, and-be conveyed. for a distance exposed; to: the ,atmosphere and the sun asa shallow layer,

there is; a; quicker creation of salt from: the solution, producingtwo types of salt':

1. So-called igrainer salt 1 which floats. on the surface'of the flowing body, and

2.,So-ca1led bottom salt, wl1ich crystallizes onthe bottomwith av change. oftemperature, on thetprinciple thatas' the .water cools, say, during the night, it will contain a slightly smaller quantity of salt in solution, which quantity accordingly. leaves the solution and crystallizes-at thebottomr In .certain sections of the country, there are found deposits of naturalsalt, 1 which can be improved through the present recrystallizing process. invention, such salt may be-transported-as natural salt to distant pointsor cities,- -w'hich --may;be treatedlas distributing pointspandat which the said material is placed'in: solutionuan-dva-s such treated for the recovery of. the .salt therefrom, or, i11. other'words,' (a

.bodyQ-ofpbrine solution is formed which is then treated according to the present method for the purification and recovery ofthe salt therefrom.

In the carrying outof the invention, there is employed what may be termed ,a-double sluice or runway that is to say, two runways are arranged .substantially parallel,- so as topermitof the saline solution/being first conveyed or moved 1none-d rect1on from Under the present returned in .the opposite direction lfIOHL a second sump; whereby there ista continuous movement .of the-saline solution in. a 'to and t'fro course ,Ofltl-ELVQI duringthe oper-f a suitable sump and thence =transferredor solutiomhence it crystallizes as'bottIom salt. Thegrainer salt which floats :on the sur of said solution towards .the dischargeend of the runway through which "the L solution moving and is deposited 111t 0.-. the sump atsuch end of the rimway.

To comprehend the invention, reference should be .had .;.to the accompanying-sheet Lo'f drawings, wherein Figure Lisa plan view ,ofthe apparatus "Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on theline -F1:gure;;1 --of;- the drawings.

for-the carrying out ofjthe nethod-inven- .tion. I

In the drawings, theletter Adisgusedto injdicateone sluiceeor runway, and f Bgthe comp anionsluice or runwaygamanged parallel thereof. These runways ,arejpreferably formed of concrete, and: the depth thereof is substantially eight. .or-twelve inches, each sluice or runway; having a width-of approxis :mately'tento sixteen feet; These sluiceways communicate? at their I ends 1 with transversely disposed sumps C and 5D, there :being arranged in each 0f said. sumps a transversely C and Din length approximate the combined width ,of; the sluices or runways. Aand B,;and havea depth ofapproximately, eight feet. 1 :Howeven'the depth .Ofg-tlle. sumps 'may be varied-as required, and the. saidsumps likepthe runways A and B are preferably formed. of concrete. Thesluices or, runways Aand Bare of cons derable;vlength+from disposed paddle wheel; E driven by any -suit-' .able form'of drive mechanism. The sumps height, and at the discharge end thereof is arranged a transverse barrier F approxi mately sir: inchcs in height, while at the feed end of the sluice or runway B is arranged a transversely disposed barrier G apprommately ten inches in height, while at its discharge end it is provided with a transversely disposed barrier G approximately six: inches in height. Each sump C and D is subdivided, so to speak, by a longitudinally disposed battle plate E- which extends downwardly for a distance of approximately four to six inches, the said battle plate E subdividing the sumps C and D into two compartments aa. The paddle wheels E are mounted for rotation within the compartments a of the sumps C and I) respectively As the brine solution is discharged into the compartments a of the saio sumps, the grains-r salt floating therewitlris caused to be deflected by the battle plates l5 beneath the surface of the solution contained within the sumps E and settles to the bottom of the sumps from which said grainer salt is removed in any suitable manner. As the paddle wheels E are of small diameter and only dip into the surfaceof the solution within the sumps {l and D to a slight extent, the rotary action of said wheels does not disturb the grainer salt precipitated to the bottom of the said sumps.

lJuring operation, there is formed a saturated brine solution which is deposited in the sumps C and D, and by the action of the paddle wheels E the said solution is lifted from the sumps and deposited respectively in the conduits H and H; The solution deposited in the conduit H flowing over the barrier wall F into the runway or sluice A and flowing thereover toward the discharge end, being retained therein until the solution has reached a depth sutiicient to overflow the barrier wall F into the sump D,

while the brine solution contained within the sump D is lifted by the paddle wheel E working therein and is lifted thereby and deposited into the conduit H from which it flows into the sluice or conduit B, gradu ally flowing the length thereof until its depth is su'fiicient to permit of the same flowing over the transversely disposed wall (1" into the sump C. Under this arrangement, the body of saline solution travels as a shallow flowing stream or layer in a to and fro course between the sumps C and D, and during its flow is subjected to the action of the sun, wind and atmosphere, which causes the evaporation of the solution and a deposit of the bottom salt crystals onto the bottom of the sluices or runways A and B respectively, the flowing streams of the brine solution being maintained until such time the said sluices or runways A and B become substantially filled with the salt deposited from the solution. The grainer salt floating on the surface of the flowing solution is carried thereby and deposited with the discharge of the solution fromthe runways A and B into the compartments a of the sumps C and D. After the sluices or runways have become substantially filled with bottom salt, the operation or movement of the brine solution .is arrested and the salt removed from the sluices or runways in an 1 suitable manner for transportation aspurllied salt, and after a sufiicientquantityof the grainer salt has been collected in the sumps CD, the same is removed therefrom in any suitable manner.

At times it is desired to build up, so to speak, larger crystals of salt than ordinarily would be formed by the flowing streams of the brine solution, and to accomplish this a certain portion of the salt" deposited on the bottoms of the 'slulces or v runways A and B and adjacent the receiving end portions thereof is broken up and arranged in transversely disposed ridges or piles I, and when so arranged as the brine solution flows thereover there is a certain retardation and a building'up of the'crystals until they have reached a proper size,-

the salt thus formed being that which is commonly employed in connection with food for animals, required to be of larger-size than the salt employed for human consump tion.

It will be noted from the foregoing that the invention resides in the impounding of a comparatively large body of saline solution within suitable sumps, lifting the solution from said sumps and causing the same to flow as a shallow stream or layer of so-lution for a distance, within and over parallel sluices or runways, subjecting the said shallow depth flow streams of brine to the action of the sun, wind, and atmosphere, whereby the saltis gradually deposited and built up on the-bottom of the said sluices or runways, the body or solution being maintained in a continuous to and fro course of travel, and

which flow of the body of brine as subdivided layers is maintained until the crys tals have suitably built up Within thesaid sluices or runways.

During treatment the brine solution is maintained in movement, although the flow of the layers of the solution over and within the sluices or runways A and B is comparatively slow, and as the distance oftravel 1s a comparative long one, ample time is provided for the settling and building up of the salt crystals on the bottoms of said sluices or runways.

The bottom salt deposited and built up in the sluices or runways is thoroughly Washed and cleansed of foreign substances, so its deposit is of substantlally pure salt, while the grainer salt iscarried and depositedas salt of high quality into the sumps C-,D.

From the foregoing, it will be noted that in the carrying out of my method there is a recovery of two types of salt, viz :the grainer salt and the bottom salt, and which recovery of the two types of salt is successfully and practically produced by the subdividing of the body of brine solution into flowing shallow layers or streams of brine having a considerable area exposure to the action of the sun and atmosphere. There is a third recovery, or type of salt produced, and which is formed by the building up of the crystals by the arrangement of the bottom salt in transverse ridges with respect to the runways A and B, but for all practical purposes such may be considered and treated as bottom salt, and therefore no distinction is made between such type of salt and the type which is termed herein as bottom salt.

the action of the sun and atmosphere to efiect evaporation and crystallization permittingcourse salt granules formed in the brine to settle from the layers and build up, trapping in a body of brine at the end of each to and fro course of travel'the floating Salt granules formed on the brine in circula tion, andseparately removing the settled course salt granules; and the trapped salt. In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

AUGUST s cHILLnvo. 1 

